Simko

Here goes, i want to use my cove stiffee frame, and get some kind of flip flop hub, right now my gear ratio is 32:16 teeth
I want a bike that will suit me as a commuter(which may see a few bumps, ie uneven sidewalks, coming off a few curbs), and the occasional ride (on pavement, ie 10-20km.) When commuting i will be carrying a backpack, and therefore a frame or setup that allows me to sit a more upright position would be beneficial.

Frame: I believe the Cove stiffee frame (~19") is suitable for this build, im sure its meant more for MTB, but i dont see why this would be a drawback in my application

Fork: This is question 1, should i be looking at a rigid fork? or for the bumps mentioned above, do i need to look at some kind of shock setup? (i have no idea what fork, or what size of a fork to use, so if anyone has a product recommendation let me know).
Wheels: same as above, the ones i have now work, but they could be complete junk for now
brakes: ive got V brakes up front, these could change with whatever fork i decide
rear hub: right now i have a freewheeling hub, but i might want to try a flip flop, to see what a fixed configuration is like.
handlebar,headset,cranks, crankbearing, pedals: open to suggestions!

budget? Im not looking for the be all and end all of bikes, but ive set my budget at around $500(canadian, if i go over this, that is OK, but would prefer to keep it around this figure), i feel this can get me some decent components since i already have my frame.
So please, take me to school on this one folks, Im going to try and do most of the work at my place to keep down on costs (if i can eliminate more shop costs, i can spend the $ on better gear, right?).

Parts: what do i have? here are somepics! (if any of these parts are good, i would love to reuse them, however if i cant, then that is ok with me.

a spare rim/wheel with hub:



the little cog on it is 16 tooth

______________
the bike as it sits

front wheel label

front tire: bald

rear hub: axiom (norco takeoff?)


headset (is that the right term?) its DH pig

Simko

so i could only attach 10 images, here are the rest
rear wheel disc



rear tire


seat (i have a really fat bottom, I find this seat pretty comfy)


this stem is plucked off my old kona, as are the brake levers, cranks etc




lizardskin grips, i think comparable to ODI lockons?





Let me know what i need folks, if i can buy this stuff online, i will do that, and do one large order to save on shipping, thanks for reading all this crap too!

-Aaron

twelsch42

Who the eff is on 56k? wow

destikon

32:16 is a bit much for commuting. That sounds like a good mtn ratio though. $500 could get you something way better. Don't dump it into this thing. That's my .02

Gyeswho

So do you or do you not want a new frame? The bike you have seem like what you're looking for as far as a commuter

since you have disc brakes on that bike you can't get a flip flop hub due to the disk rotor bolted to the brake side

Raiden

My first suggestion would be to look into a cog that bolts to the place that the brake disc is attached. I don't know who makes them, but I know they exist. If you get one, you could use the current ss hub. You would want a higher gear ratio (2:1 is really low for street use), and you might need to redish or space your wheel or swap your bottom bracket of the chain line is off.

lyledriver

It already looks like a decent bike. Just ditch the fork for a suspension corrected rigid one and call it a day.

Simko

Thanks for the info everyone!

I dont mind the frame as it is now, But if there was one in my price point that would make a difference to me, i would go that way, but i can use this one if its OK for commuting.

If i went to a flip flop, i would get rid of the rear disc, but If i cant find something, i might just run a fixed hub, keep the disc and V brake up front.

For a suspension corrected fork, how do i know what length i should use for the bike? should i contact the manufacturer (Cove) and ask them?

part of the reason im not satisfied with the bike is the gear ratio (my fault, as i chose it in the first place, so i found myself going crazy to keep with bike going at a decent pace.)

dirtyhippy

If you want to keep the disc brake but want different gear ratios, you should check out the dingle cog. It's basically two fixed cogs side by side that you run with a double chainring up front. You just change your chain from one to the other when you want to switch.